The Meeting in Brussels

Published: 25 March 2004 y., Thursday
European Union leaders meeting in Brussels aim to choose a successor to European Central Bank board member Eugenio Domingo Solans, a decision that has become entwined with the quest for a new chief of the International Monetary Fund. Solans, 58, steps down from the ECB in May and Spain wants another national to replace him. Spain is also fielding a candidate to replace Horst Koehler, 61, who quit the IMF to run for Germany's presidency. EU leaders are unlikely to give both jobs to Spaniards, said economists including Paul De Grauwe, who was twice Belgium's candidate for an ECB board seat. The EU has already delayed naming a replacement for Solans as small countries balked at a German-led bid to maintain ECB seats for bigger countries. Solans is one of six members of the ECB board, which along with the 12 national central bank governors, sets interest rates for the currency region stretching from Lisbon to Helsinki. Previous decisions on filling such posts have led to damaging public disputes. French President Jacques Chirac insisted in 1998 on cutting short the term of the ECB's first president, Wim Duisenberg, so that France's Jean-Claude Trichet could take over. Koehler's appointment to the IMF in May 2000 came after four months of haggling between EU governments and the U.S. The IMF has been run by a European since it was founded after World War II.
Šaltinis: Bloomberg
Copying, publishing, announcing any information from the News.lt portal without written permission of News.lt editorial office is prohibited.

Facebook Comments

New comment


Captcha

Associated articles

The most popular articles

EBRD makes equity investment in Croatian geodetic company

The EBRD is making a €4 million equity investment in Geofoto, a Croatian geodetic company offering mapping, geodetic survey, photogrammetry, geoinformatics and aerial survey services, to support its drive to expand operations on international level. more »

Strong year - risk-adjusted profit up 22%

Nordea came out of 2009 in an even stronger position, despite one of the most challenging years for decades. Risk-adjusted profit increased 22% and our capital position and cost of funding are among the best in Europe. more »

Small business start-ups by the unemployed: deal agreed on funding

MEPs gave the green light on Thursday for EU funding to help Europe's unemployed start up small businesses. more »

Yemen: international efforts needed to prevent crisis escalation

MEPs are deeply concerned about the long-standing and growing presence of al-Qaeda, and the deteriorating security, social and economic problems in Yemen, which they think could destabilise neighbouring countries. more »

Africa: Fighting the Global Economic Crisis through Private Enterprise, Innovation and Integration

At the start of a new decade, Sub Saharan Africa is reeling from the effects of three major global crises – food, fuel and financial – that have reversed many of the economic achievements of the last 10 years and left some growth projections at levels below those of 30 years ago. more »

5th High-level Seminar of Central Banks in the East Asia-Pacific Region and the Euro Area

The 5th High-level Seminar of Central Banks in the East Asia-Pacific Region and the Euro Area was jointly organised by the European Central Bank and the Reserve Bank of Australia, in cooperation with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority. more »

EBRD and EFSE support micro and small businesses in Moldova

The EBRD and European Fund for Southeast Europe are boosting the availability of financing to private businesses in Moldova with a $10 million loan to ProCredit Bank in Moldova for on-lending to micro and small enterprises. more »

EBRD finances new shopping centre in Croatia

The EBRD is supporting the development of the retail infrastructure in Croatia with a €68 million loan to finance the construction of a modern shopping centre in Split, the second largest city in Croatia. more »

EBRD agrees to sell 15 percent stake in Swedbank’s Russian banking arm

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has agreed to sell its 15 percent stake in OAO Swedbank Russia to its parent and major stakeholder, Sweden’s Swedbank AB, a move which would give it full ownership of its Russian subsidiary. more »

Ministers of Industry agree that the European Commission should promote a common strategy on electric cars

The Ministers of Industry took the first steps in San Sebastián today to make the electric vehicle a reality in Europe and agreed that European institutions, with the EC at the head, should lead a common strategy on electric vehicles. more »